Alkarama is pleased to present you with its 2013 annual report which is available here:
English: http://en.alkarama.org/documents/AnnualReport2013_EN_WEB.pdf
French: http://fr.alkarama.org/documents/AnnualReport2013_FR_WEB.pdf
Arabic: http://ar.alkarama.org/documents/AnnualReport2013_AR_WEB.pdf
The year 2013 reminded us that the struggle for human rights is a lengthy one: the ‘Arab spring’, despite the great progress it has brought to some parts of the Arab world, has not achieved one of its fundamental goals which is the promotion and protection of human rights.
The Arab world continued to experience major conflicts, implicating governments of the region, non state actors and foreign powers. These situations have led to grave human rights violations. The coup in Egypt on 3 July 2013 brought back practices that have thought to be eradicated: massacres, torture, arbitrary arrests and a dramatic restriction of public freedoms. In Syria, human rights continued to be violated in a systematic and massive manner by a regime that seems to accommodate excessive violence and foreign interference. Iraq continues to experience a chaotic situation in which major human rights violations are unfortunately omnipresent. Furthermore, the lack of respect for the rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights remain a key problem for the majority of Gulf states. In Yemen, the tense internal situation is exasperated by US-led targeted killings. For more than a decade now, the US has waged a war against terrorism, violating international human rights law. Alkarama’s thorough investigations into American airstrikes in Yemen have demonstrated this very clearly.
As 2014 marks Alkarama’s tenth anniversary, we find that its mission to combat gross human rights violations in the Arab world, that is to say, violations of the right to life, to physical and moral integrity and personal freedoms, remains a priority.
Alkarama wishes to express its gratitude and support to the men and women who, despite the very real dangers and the daily pressures they face, work tirelessly to raise awareness of these violations and to make the voice of the oppressed heard. It is in large part because of their courage, effort and trust that Alkarama has become what it is today.
Alkarama also wishes to thank our NGO colleagues and our partners from the international human rights protection mechanisms for their trust and collaboration. We look forward to continuing working with them to ensure that the rights of every individual in the Arab world are respected and protected.
We are also grateful for the support of a number of Swiss communes, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and the Norwegian Human Rights Fund, which together with the funds from the members of the Foundation's Council as well as private donations, have guaranteed our ability to continue our activities over this past year.
If you would like any further information about our activities or if you have any other queries, please do not hesitate to contact us at +41 22 734 10 06 / info@alkarama.org or consult our website, www.alkarama.org